Work begins on permanent stage in Grayville

Crews in Grayville are hard at work on a new permanent stage, set to open for Grayville Days over the Labor Day weekend. The stage, located next to the Theater in downtown Grayville, will serve many purposes and alleviate expenses for stage rental each year during the town's biggest event.

Crews in Grayville are hard at work on a new permanent stage, set to open for Grayville Days over the Labor Day weekend. The stage, located next to the Theater in downtown Grayville, will serve many purposes and alleviate expenses for stage rental each year during the town's biggest event.

"The main benefit of having a permanent stage is to eliminate the $4,500 stage rental fee we incur each year during Grayville Days," said Rick Conners, who is a director on the Grayville Chamber of Commerce. "The hopes are the stage will be utilized by many other community groups, such as schools and churches, throughout the year."

The stage came out of a meeting with the Grayville Community Arts committee, who leased the ground adjacent to the theater to the city. Once the stage is built, the Chamber will spearhead the project and oversee the operational aspects of the area.

The stage was designed as a 30 by 30 foot stage that will include a solid metal roof. The project is patterned after the stage in downtown Crossville, which has become the focal point for many community events in that village. With the stage being a perfect square, there are no limitations to its use.

"We purposely designed it to be the same size on each side," said Conners. "The front side (north side) will be used for big events when the main street is closed down, such as for Grayville Days and the Car Show the first Saturday in October. For smaller events, the stage can be set up to face the east side with only the side street required to be blocked off. Even small events can be used on the south side of the stage, using the lot beside the stage."

The Grayville Community Arts committee and the Chamber of Commerce have also elected to place brick on the front (north) and east side of the stage to complement the theater next door and coordinate with the look. The neutral colored roof will also blend with the theater to make it cohesive in appearance. The stage will also be equipped with electricity.

There are several programs already in place in Grayville that could utilize the stage, such as a summer Community Arts Camp. Also, several churches have already expressed interest in trying to lure a Christian band to the stage, providing entertainment and possibly street dances for area youth. The possibilities are unlimited and the stage adds value to the downtown area.

"The Grayville Days committee started the process to try to eliminate the stage rental fee," said Conners, who owns and operates Rick's Ashland in Grayville, a towing, auto repair and gas station. "We asked the Chamber to take it over. There are a bunch of the same people on both committees, so the Chamber will handle the donations and fundraisers."

Page 2 of 2 - The Chamber will be working on a fundraiser for another Grayville entity Saturday, Aug. 3. The committee will be cooking food at the Depot for the series titled "Depot Days," which brings different entertainment acts to the area close to the Wabash River. The lawn fills up with local people for the free concerts that are held on Friday evenings. Denny Reese heads up the event, which is now in its second year.

"Denny has done a great job with Depot Days," said Conners. "The Chamber decided to help out with a fundraiser for the series. Last year, Denny faced some bad weather and hot temperatures. But so far this year it has been good, and he's done all of this on a shoestring budget. It's really been a nice option for residents of Grayville."